Marriage
Marriage Preparation
Before filling out the Marriage Preparation Form below, we invite you to read about the process of preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage in St. Maximilian Kolbe Pastorate.
Give thanks for the gift of sacramental marriage.
Sacramental marriage is a great gift through which God wants to give you his own life and many graces. Having been elevated to a sacrament, Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (CCC 1661).
Reach out to the parish.
Let us know that you are engaged and are hoping to be married in the Pastorate by completing the Marriage Preparation Form linked below. When we have received your response, we will reach out to share more about the preparation process.
Learn about Catholic engagement.
We desire for this season of preparation to be one that lays a foundation for a healthy, life long marriage. The preparation process begins with a short online course to help deepen your understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. A staff member will meet with you to debrief after you have finished the course.
Meet with Fr. Joe to complete official paperwork and schedule the wedding.
Before establishing a date for your Marriage in the Pastorate, you will meet with Fr. Joe to complete the prenuptial investigation, which consists of a short interview with the bride-to-be and groom-to-be, ensuring they are both free to marry.
Make time for crucial conversations with help from the FOCCUS Inventory.
Engaged couples are paired up with a married couple in the parish to walk through the FOCCUS Inventory. This tool helps identify patterns of strengths and areas that need the couples' attention, so the engaged couple can prioritize important conversations leading up to marriage and life together on topics like parenting, practice of the faith, finances, and careers.
Journey through the Witness to Love Marriage preparation program.
The centerpiece of Marriage preparation in the Pastorate is journeying with a mentor couple through the Witness to Love program. Using the Witness to Love material over six in-home meetings, the two couples learn about and discuss the virtues that a healthy and lasting marriage is built upon. They also attend an evening Theology of Marriage retreat, which is hosted in the Pastorate.
Learn about Natural Family Planning.
The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. NFP represents an authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy. Engaged couples will be directed to resources that can help them learn more about NFP options.
Meet with a priest about wedding planning.
As the wedding day approaches, you will meet about the details of the big day and the celebration of this sacrament.
Go to Confession.
To receive the fullness of graces and gifts the Lord wants to pour out in the sacrament of Marriage, it is important to be properly disposed to receive them. The very best way to do so is by regularly going to Confession, most especially the week leading up to your wedding.
Get Married!
When the big day comes, we will be praying for you and with you as you become one in the Sacrament of Marriage!
Make the practice of the faith an essential part of your marriage.
We hope that your engagement and wedding day are just the beginning of a great new chapter of involvement and spiritual growth in our Pastorate. We will be here to support you and form you as a couple on this journey to heaven together. We also look forward to helping you form and raise in the faith any children you are gifted with in your marriage.